Strong appetite for podcast content behind Global’s swoop for Gary Neville's The Overlap
Our weekly free round up of key deals and major moves in the Rainmakers world
Hello Rainmakers,
The new year for us news hounds has started with a bit of a flurry.
Admittedly, a lot were deals that got over the line just before Christmas.
Here is a pick of a fairly rich crop.
This is free to all who have signed up, however Rainmakers subscribers get two unique pieces a week, and also full access to our back catalogue of investigations, scoops, and insights, including updates from The Secret Investor, interviews with entrepreneurs, and the leaders from VC and PE investors like Endless, and River Capital, Foresight, Mercia, Puma and LDC.
The Overlap, the acclaimed sports media platform founded by Gary Neville, has been bought in a strategic investment deal with Global, the media and entertainment Group that’s best known for owning radio brands like Capital, Classic FM and LBC.
Launched in 2021, The Overlap was created to provide a platform for in-depth sporting discussion and exclusive interviews across football, rugby and cricket. The investment from Global will support the continued growth of the brand and accelerate its ambition to develop into a multi-format sports media network.
The circumstances of its success may have been accidental, as Gary Neville commented: “The Overlap started as an idea that we thought people might like and we went for it. What has happened since then has been a great journey and it’s a team that I love working with and I’m incredibly proud to be a part of.” But it’s future is anything but a whim.
It’s a neat way for Global to get a slice of the sports media market, without having to shell out for Premier League football rights. The major streaming services are desperate for regular sticky content that draws in audiences, and the Overlap on YouTube offers them opportunities to extend the brand.
Global did something similar when it entered the news and politics media market by hiring Emily Maitlis, Lewis Goodall and Jon Sopel, and building the News Agents brand.
The deal is an exit for content marketing business Miroma, which first invested in The Overlap in 2022 following its launch in 2021 and they’ll continue to co-own Buzz16, whose content spans live sport, documentaries, social-first content, podcasts, and branded campaigns for clients including Sky Sports, Warner Bros. Discovery, Premier League, and BT Sport.
Lisa Wilson, Head of Tax at Cowgills, who advised on it said she’s had to help the team take on board some tax considerations that she says have been “carefully structured” to support the commercial deal, both now and, intriguingly, as The Overlap “continues to scale”.
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Subscribers to Rainmakers this week were treated to Rob Buckland’s analytical piece about serial entrepreneurs Luke Johnson and Ian Livingstone are promising a new focus for the once successful-but-now troubled Inspecs by taking it private.
Their £85.4m bid to buy the listed eyewear firm will give Inspecs new focus for the once successful-but-now troubled business.
Rob Buckland takes a look at what went wrong at Inspecs and Johnson and Livingstone’s vision for its future under their stewardship.
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The global waste management world has just seen a major shake-up, as Kaiser AG has acquired Solihull-based liquid waste specialist Whale Tankers.
The deal brings Whale Tankers’ UK and Indian operations into Kaiser’s orbit, significantly expanding its global footprint across Europe, the US, the Middle East, Australia and Asia - looks like they’re leaving competitors in the drain.
Whale Tankers, which posted £83m turnover in 2025 and employs more than 600 people across Solihull and Coimbatore, is now fully plugged into Kaiser’s global network, giving the group extra flow and capacity across key markets.
From a technological perspective, the acquisition creates what the companies are calling the largest and most advanced product range of sewer cleaning vehicles worldwide, combining expertise and innovation to keep the group well ahead of the current market.
Markus Kaiser, CEO and owner of the Kaiser Group, said: “Growth only creates value in our industry if people and regional strengths remain at the centre. This acquisition aims to reinforce local entrepreneurship while unlocking global opportunities.
“The combined portfolio strengthens the entire Kaiser Group and generates new opportunities for all our locations and teams across Europe, the USA and Australia.”
The two businesses have long collaborated, with complementary product lines and strategic development.
As a fellow family-owned company, Kaiser sees the acquisition as a long-term commitment to its UK and Indian teams.
Both sites will be further developed as part of Kaiser’s international production and engineering network, while the deal also adds resilience in an increasingly volatile geopolitical environment.
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On Thursday, we spoke to Ama Capital founder Ed Ransome who cut his teeth in the hard school of special situations – learning the craft of private equity from Garry Wilson and Warwick Ley at Endless.
It’s an experience he still talks about with clear respect: a place where you “roll your sleeves up”, see complex deals up close, and absorb what high‑calibre operators actually do, not just what investment memos say they do.
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Fannin has expanded its UK operations by acquiring ISKUS Health, following CMA clearance, adding a broader range of medical, surgical, and consumable products.
Stuart Murray, co-founder of ISKUS Health, joins Derby-based Fannin as commercial director, leading the integrated sales team and ensuring the transition is surgically precise.
Murray said: “Joining Fannin UK is an exciting step for ISKUS Health UK. Our team has been fully integrated into Fannin UK’s sales divisions and territories, enabling customers to benefit from Fannin’s broader resources, logistics capabilities and UK-wide support, while maintaining access to the superb range of ISKUS Health products. This integration ensures continuity of experience and relationships with healthcare providers across the UK.”
The deal brings in products including blood culture collection systems, surgical drapes, patient hygiene solutions, fluid-control mats, and wound drainage devices - a full toolkit to keep hospitals running efficiently.
With ISKUS now fully under Fannin’s care, the company is positioned to operate at peak efficiency, helping healthcare providers stay in good working order from wards to theatres.
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Somerset fabric technology specialist Nonwovenn, which recently celebrated 19 consecutive years of profit was snapped up by investment group CorpAcq from BGF, which had helped it grow annual turnover from £19m in 2016, when it first backed the firm, to £46m last year.
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A combined business created by a newly completed acquisition has money launderers firmly in its sights, as it prepares to offer its services to more than 8,500 regulated firms. Ilkley-based digital compliance specialist, SmartSearch, created one of the very first electronic anti-money laundering services back in the early 2000s and is now supported by investor Triple Private Equity. The company has completed taking over Credas Technologies Ltd.
Phil Cotter, SmartSearch boss, said the deal means the business can bring together complementary technologies to deliver greater efficiency and accelerate product development. Tim Barnett, who is CEO of Credas, stressed: “With financial crime on the rise, digital identity verification is more critical than ever. Joining SmartSearch allows us to help more businesses protect themselves and maintain compliance.”
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The Beauty Tech Group has announced this week that it has smashed its targets for the current financial year, reporting surging revenues for the year ended 31 December 2025 following its IPO in October 2025.
CEO Laurence Newman will be speaking at Rainmakers Summit this March, where he will tell the extraordinary, behind-the-scenes story of the company’s IPO and rapid post-listing growth.
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